While on our way back from the White Mountains NH, we decided to go back into Canada by taking the ferry from Cape Vincent NY (along the St. Lawrence River) to Wolfe Island in ON. Customs service is provided on both sides of the 15 minute ferry ride.
The water levels in the Great Lakes is unusually high and most docks are under water. At the ferry dock in Cape Vincent they had made some changes to allow loading the ferry and there there were sandbags in place. The captain of the small ferry was confident that he could take us across even though the winds had picked up and the water was rough.
We pulled onto the ferry, but had to maneuver (jack-knife) to get most of the trailer aboard.
(Panoramic to show the whole rig)
The rear bumper of the AS was overhanging a bit and they couldn't completely close the loading ramp. They chocked the wheels and off we went. With the rough water, I stayed in the Jeep and held the trailer brakes on with the hand controller, just to be sure.
(Rear bumper overhanging)
When we arrived at Wolfe Island (Canadian Side) we had to back the trailer off of the ferry onto the dock which was under about a foot of water. One of the crew members went into the water to remove the drift wood that would catch the undercarriage of the trailer. The three crew and the captain of the ferry assisted with directions to back the trailer off safely.
We stopped at Canadian Customs and the border agent was smiling as we had provided the entertainment for the day. Where we were stopped talking to her it was still close to the shore and the spray from the waves crashing on the breakwater was spraying both of us as we answered the questions.
I would recommend this crossing if you feel adventurous and have a short rig like ours. I'm not sure a pick up truck with the 25' AS would have fit.
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